Search This Blog

Sunday Quote: Radcliffe on This Weak Hand

If the weak hand, that has recorded this tale, has, by its scenes, beguiled the mourner of one hour of sorrow, or, by its moral, taught him to sustain it - the effort, however humble, has not been vain, nor is the writer unrewarded. - Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, 1764

Like Ann Radcliffe, I love the idea that my work my touch some unknown reader, perhaps even decades later, that it might alleviate stress or boredom or illuminate a new idea. People write for many reasons, but to my way of thinking, this is the real reason that underlies every writer's efforts to publish.